Trying New Things

I made my very first batch of sangria yesterday, for a New Year’s Day filled inexplicably with NFL rather than BCS football, and while it was pretty good, it could use a little bit of fine tuning.

It called for 2/3 cup of lemon juice (I used fresh-squeezed) and only 1/3 cup of orange juice, in addition to 1/4 cup sugar. As one might well imagine, just from looking at those ratios, it was too tart. The wine I used was merlot, just because I had an extra bottle; maybe others are better? Is there a standard type of wine that most folks use when making sangria? Dunno.

So the next batch is going to be more like 1/2 cup of each, with perhaps a little more OJ, and maybe a little more sugar. Maybe some lime juice too, either in addition to or in replacement of the lemon juice. A bit of cranberry juice might be good too.

I can’t go too far with the sweetness, but this tartness needs to be tamed, and I want a little more flavor.

But, all in all, this is a nearly perfect football-watching beverage. It tastes really good, it’s easy to make in a big batch, it goes well with just about any food, and it is meant to be consumed chilled with ice. And since it is basically wine and fruit juice, it has some pretty strong nutritional properties. ‘Tis practically a miracle food! I foresee sangria becoming a standard in my “what to drink” repertoire.

What’s not to like? In fact, I’m enjoying a glass of sangria right now while watching Notre Dame face off against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

UPDATE: From later in January:Better than last time, but still could use some tweaks

Had a couple of glasses yesterday during the Chicago Bears debacle. Pretty good, but still not quite there yet. Maybe a little pineapple juice? Of course, this particular wine wasn’t the best, and I suppose that is a big factor in the ultimate flavor of the final product.

I guess I’ll just have to keep making more and more batches of it until I get it right.